Dissatisfaction at Hong Kong’s political situation hits record high, survey finds

69 per cent of people are disgruntled following oath-taking saga, with rate climbing to 86 per cent among the most educated

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The four lawmakers facing legal action (from left) Edward Yiu, Nathan Law, Lau Siu-lai and Leung Kwok-hung. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 9:11pm, 3 Jan 2017Updated: 9:20am, 4 Jan 2017

People are more disgruntled with the city’s political situation than ever, according to a University of Hong Kong survey, with the young and more educated most unhappy.

In the latest study by the university’s public opinion programme between December 19 and December 22, the overall dissatisfaction rate hit 69 per cent, up one point from June, and the highest since the survey was first conducted in 1992. Only one in 10 people said they were satisfied.

The dissatisfaction rating hit 80 per cent among respondents aged 18 to 29, compared with 65 per cent for those aged 50 or above.

Up to 86 per cent of those who had reached tertiary education or above were unhappy with political developments, dropping to 49 per cent for people at primary level or below.

The findings followed the political storm surrounding Beijing’s decision to effectively disqualify two pro-independence lawmakers, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang, for their improper oath-taking, which some critics regarded as a violation of the “one country, two systems” principle.

The government has launched a legal bid to disqualify four more pro-democracy lawmakers: Nathan Law Kwun-chung, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, Lau Siu-lai and Edward Yiu Chung-yim.